UIC gets $12 million to study young adult smoking

The University of Illinois at Chicago has received a big federal grant to study what influences smoking habits in young adults.

CHICAGO (AP) — The University of Illinois at Chicago has received a big federal grant to study what influences smoking habits in young adults. The grant totaling more than $12 million comes from the National Cancer Institute. It will fund a project building on previous UIC research about why some kids smoke and quit while others get hooked. Genetic markers for tobacco dependence also will be explored. UIC researchers began following about 1,200 Chicago-area teens in 9th and 10th grade. They’re now entering young adulthood, and lead investigator Robin Mermelstein says that’s when people face high risks for getting hooked on smoking. The researchers hope to identify factors that reduce young adults’ chances for getting hooked. Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.